One day after endorsing gay marriage proposals in Washington and Maine, President Obama told MTV viewers Friday that he would not be pushing gay marriage in his second term, ABC News reported.

According to Obama, "it would be up to future generations of Americans to implement meaningful reform," ABC added.

"First of all, I've been very clear about my belief that same-sex couples have to be treated before the eyes of the law the same way as heterosexual couples," he told MTV's Sway Calloway. "I think that's the right thing to do. It's based on my personal experience, seeing loving couples who are committed to each other, raising kids and are just outstanding people," he added. "And I was supportive of civil unions, but they taught me, if you're using different words, if you're somehow singling them out, they don't feel true equality."

Over the years, Obama has held different opinions on the subject. In 1996, he supported gay marriage, but held a different opinion in 2004.

“What I believe is that marriage is between a man and a woman … What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it’s not simply the two persons who are meeting,” he said when running for the Senate.

In 2008, he supported civil unions, but did not support gay marriage.

"My feelings about this are constantly evolving. I struggle with this. At this point, what I’ve said is, is that my baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have,” he said just two months after telling liberal bloggers that he was "unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage."

In May, however, he reverted to his 1996 position and came out in support of gay marriage, causing a backlash from black churches.

Obama rejected the idea of federal legislation mandating gay marriage and said that it should be decided at the state level.

"For us to try to legislate federally into this area is probably the wrong way to go," he said.

One of those in the audience was a young man identified as "Tucker," who said he was from Washington State.

"I love having a president in the White House who can go on MTV and say that he thinks gay and lesbian people should get married, that's great," he said. "But the fact is, it's been four years and the Defense of Marriage Act is still on the books, and I don't think the conversation should be left to the states," he added.

He said that he was "very afraid" that Washington voters "are going to vote on my rights to marry in a way that I don't think is right."

Supporters of Washington's ballot measure, known as Referendum 74, have raised nearly $11 million to finance a well-oiled campaign designed to convince voters that gay marriage is necessary, even though the state already has an “Everything But Marriage” law that gives same-sex couples full legal rights.

I did not ever think same-sex marriage equality would be something for his 2nd term. It'll probably continue to be left up to states for a decade or so, and then it'll make its way to the supreme court.

Ah yes, you are right, that some same-sex items are up for discussion on the Supreme Court. But the SC may narrowly determine what these rulings impact (I.e. a specific issue or policy or state) as they have with other issue cases that have been brought up.

Four of the cases test the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in states or foreign countries where they are allowed. Another seeks approval for Proposition 8, a 2008 measure that outlawed same-sex marriage in California. The sixth case concerns gay rights in Arizona.

How is this conning his base??? "Obama rejected the idea of federal legislation mandating gay marriage and said that it should be decided at the state level." I thought you were against gay marriage so why would it matter to you.

Lootifer wrote:But PS Obamas stance is EXACTLY what you want... If you were ever being honest this would be a pro-Obama thread on your part.

Sure it is, but I am not "the base" that Obama has been lying to for the last year...I've been fully aware that Obama has been lying all along, and not only about gay marriage. Obama has been using the gay agenda, and now he is going to abuse it.

Nola_Lifer wrote:How is this conning his base??? "Obama rejected the idea of federal legislation mandating gay marriage and said that it should be decided at the state level." I thought you were against gay marriage so why would it matter to you.

Well, I agree with every single word he says (that you quoted), and I have been arguing those exact words for a couple of years now, so I do not understand how you can ask a question that implies I disagree with what he said.... you could try asking all the people that crawled up my ass for saying these words in the past. They obviously disagree with what Obama is saying here, because they disagreed with me while arguing the same exact point.